86. The Psychology of Assumptions, Why We Do It and How to Stop

The Home of Wellbeing and Joy Welcome back to The Mood Booster Podcast. This week is all about the psychology of assumptions, why our brains are wired to fill in the gaps, and what that costs us in our relationships, friendships and everyday interactions. Expect a fair bit of chaos along the way too, Charlie is nursing a rather dramatic swollen eyelid this week, so don't assume it's pink eye. ˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍ 🎧 𝐈𝐧 𝐭𝐡𝐢𝐬 𝐞𝐩𝐢𝐬𝐨𝐝𝐞: Charlie and Dr Marcus unpack why assumptions exist in the first place, our brains are wired to take cognitive shortcuts, and most of the time that serves us well. The conversation moves into what happens when it doesn't, missing information in relationships, jumping to conclusions with people we know well, and the age old idea of always assuming best intentions. They share a story from Dr Marcus' trip to Italy that shows just how easily we assume things that turn out not to be true at all, before landing on some genuinely useful, real world advice, from cycling safely in London to lessons learned in consultancy training about the power of simply asking the question instead of assuming the answer. ˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍˍ 🛠 𝐏𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐜𝐚𝐥 𝐀𝐝𝐯𝐢𝐜𝐞: Try to assume best intentions in other people by default, it saves a huge amount of unnecessary conflict. When you notice yourself filling in a gap with an assumption, pause and ask the question instead. In situations where safety is involved, like cycling in traffic, assuming the worst case can genuinely be the safer choice. Ask more, assume less, in relationships, at work, and in everyday interactions, communication really is the key. 📍 𝐏𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐫𝐬 𝐞𝐱𝐩𝐥𝐨𝐫𝐞𝐝: Introspection and Reflection, Community and Connection and Wellbeing and Joy 🔔 Don't forget to follow and review, it really helps us grow 📲 Follow us for more: 👉 Instagram: @themoodboosterofficial 👉 TikTok: @themoodboosterofficial 🌍 Website: www.themoodbooster.co.uk 🎥 Prefer video? Watch this episode on YouTube @TheMoodBoosterOfficial